This site is an online accumulation of the Post Reports for my current ongoing D&D Campaign - for anyone who might be interested in reading them.

Friday, March 26, 2021

PBEM - Episode 362. First Floor and Revisiting Locales.

With the first floor cleared, the issue now was the revised W/M tables based upon the changes the group had forced the castle to go through, as well as what might have moved into the areas that they had already gone through. I am a firm believer that dungeons, no dungeons, are NOT static.

Follows:

THREE HUNDRED SIXTY TWO

(I/C)

After the party filled Wyn in on the last half hour, he nodded in thanks and leaned back against the wall, tilting his head back and sighing. “Once again, Merci fer gettin me out of dere.” He smacked his lips and wiggled his tongue. “Doze anyone else taste metal? Or hear a weird bell sound? Merde dat gem really did a numba on Wyn.”

Lannis rubbed his hands on his legs, head bobbing, “I know, right? I'm glad you're finally picking up on the same weird stuff I am, I was starting to worry it was just me.”

“Oui.” He glanced at the door where Brendon was listening (WMC: Blue 4), the Scout indicating the coast was still clear. “Time to go wash de bandages, oui? I say we go south... en hopefully Hoots is properly distracted elsewhere.”

“Hey, where did Hoots go?" Lannis asked.

“Hopefully very far away from us,” Brendon offered.

“After de Sulfur, I suggest dat later tonight we cen make our way to de jail fer sleepin'...” he frowned, tugging on the lapel of his jerkin absently, “dough dat will bring us very close to de stairs goin up. En we may run into some trouble ova dere.” He shook his head and shrugged, “We cen figure that out next. First... de bandages.”

Doffing his hat once again, Lannis said, “Yeah, let's get moving and clean those things. We have to be ready to move at a moment's notice though, I don't want to get stuck in there.”

“Vamanos people,” Abraxas said, Scythe out. He frowned at the tarnish and rubbed it idly with his thumb before giving up. The party queued up at the door and Kovid opened it, peering out. The passage was the same as before, heading north and south. Once in the hall, he led us south, the group straining to hear (>Hear Noise, Red 36). There were some distant echoes but nothing concrete, and then nothing.

We moved south, Brendon and Kovid in the front, both looking with care for anything to concern the party (>Find Traps, -10% off the traveled path, Red 73), but nothing was there. We passed the kitchen, the library, and then after taking a few turns, found our way back to the entrance room. The door on the west wall had been forced open, and the smell coming from there was horrible and corrupting. A glance in showed that something had eaten at the bodies within, and we could see oversized of bloody dried ursine prints heading north.

“Found where Hoots was,” Brendon noted, looking them over. “Blood is dried. Prints are over a day old. This isn’t recent.”

“Let’s move on,” Kovid assured the group, “Sulfur room now. Then to the jail next? Maybe the Locusts tomorrow! Ahahaha,” he chuckled.

“Hah. I still wouldn’t mind the locusts at some point,” Lyra agreed. “Better than a dragon. I thought smoking them out with incense was a fantastic idea.” She shrugged, “Fantastic and probably stupid.”

“We’ve been very lucky in here.” Brendon made his way back to the front, leading the party on, voice pitched low. “We SHOULD consider the locust area again. Hoots might have cleared it by now and I’m starting to think there is something in there we can use. We’ve found great shit in the weirdest of places.”

Frowning deeply, Lannis’ head was shaking vigorously no. “Well you suggested it so it's definitely stupid. Doesn't matter since we aren't going. Maybe making a smoke signal followed by a very loud swarm of locusts isn't in our best interest right now? Someone might come and check.” He clenched his fist and made a showing or throwing something away. “Other than that killer plan Reneigh, I look forward to the next one. Let’s focus on the cleaning for now huh? You're good at that."

“Remember whoever is going down de stairs to wear de gloves and put something over de face to help with de sulfur fumes,” Wyn reminded the group.

“We’re on it,” Kovid motioned a thumb between him and Lyra. “We’ve gotten pretty good at this.”

“Tres bien. We’ll wait at de top of de stairs en keep en ear out for wanderin' creatures.”

As they were travelling the hall to the west leading to the aquifer, (<Hear Noise, Red 09) Brendon motioned the group to be silent and moved them on to the north turn, the Scout staying back, hunched low, ear turned to the hall. He stayed there a good 20 seconds before jogging up to the party again as they finished passing the former slime room (still empty) and stopping at the hall leading down to the Sulfur pools. “What was up?” Kovid asked quietly.

Brendon looked back and then motioned the group to head closer to the stairs. “Heard something. It was an echo, voice. Couldn’t make anything concrete out, but something, specifically someone…ones? Is down that hall and in the cave.”

“Could you make anything out?” Lannis asked with some exasperation. “What the hell man? Some thing? Weak.”

“Hey, Big Brain. It’s over 100 feet, down 2 sets of steps, and in a cavern – echoing back up to me. I don’t tell you how to wear a dress or how to cast your fireworks, don’t try to tell me how to do my job. Did you hear anything? Nope. I did. So just be alert. That’s all.”

“Alright, alright, don’t get your Jack all twisted up in your Sparrow.” Lannis held his hands up and backed up a step.

“Let’s go,” Lyra motioned to Kovid, sliding the rawhide gloves on and taking out the filthy Sclepian Bandages.

“We’ll be back,” the dwarf said. “Stay here, top of the stairs, keep an ear out.” They moved down the steps, taking the lantern with them leaving the rest of the party in the deepening gloom.

After they were gone a minute, Abraxas tapped the dimly seen elf on the shoulder and asked in a low whisper, "¿Tu crees hay es comida a el Carcinera's? I would hope there is some sort of comida left. I could go for some carne right about now. Maybe we swing by the freezer on our way to the yail? Es una place buena a rest."

Nodding in reply and clapping Abraxas on the hand, Wyn replied, "Oui oui Monsieur Salazar. I tink some mas carne would help keep us movin' in de battles to come."

From next to them, Lannis added, "They probably got green stuff all over the meat and we'll have to pee on it so we don't turn into trolls.”

“Ugh.”

Meanwhile in the room, Lyra got right down at the pool again and plunged the dirty bandage into the roiling sulfurous water. She scrubbed it about until after a minute or two it flashed and appeared white and pristine again. Kovid kept watch, hammer at the ready, alert to help her if need be, and keeping the light trained on her. She worked the next two bandages in turn, the two of them (Save vs Poison..>White 20..>Yellow 19) having no issues at all. Finally complete, Lyra put the bandages away and the two of them headed back up the stairs. “Success,” she whispered. “We still alone up here?”

(WMC: Red/Black 3)

Brendon nodded, “So far. Where to?”

Time now is Day 8, 3:06 PM

(OOC)

Ok! Set for rest time tonight! Where to people?

No comments: